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Quesnel business associations bring in more than 3,000 kg of food for Salvation Army

Three local associations hold a friendly competition each year to see who can bring in the most
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West Quesnel Business Association took the Pinapple Tin Trophy this year. From left: Salvation Army pastor Debbie Gatza and family outreach director Lynn Lewis; South Quesnel Business Association’s vice chair Josh Kempf and executive director Kayla Kinloch; West Quesnel Business Association’s executive director Laurey-Anne Roodenburg and volunteer Coral Byrd; and Downtown Business Association board member Gilbert Schotel and event marketing director Erica Lahoda. Melanie Law photo

Quesnel’s three business associations have brought in more than 3,000 kg of food for the Salvation Army’s food bank this year.

The West Quesnel Business Association (WQBA), South Quesnel Business Association (SQBA) and Quesnel Downtown Association (QDTA) hold a friendly competition each year to see which can bring in the most food bank donations for the local charity.

“We all compete for about four weeks, from November to early December. We collect as much as we can for Good Cheer and the Salvation Army,” explains SQBA executive director Kayla Kinloch.

“We gather it up on a specific date … and we weigh empty vehicles, then fill them up and weigh them again, and whoever has the most collected in the time frame wins the Pineapple Tin Trophy, which is a very coveted piece of hardware,” jokes Kinloch, referring to a jumbo-sized pineapple tin that’s been mounted on a piece of wood.

The business association’s each come up with unique ways to bring in donations. The QDTA collected non-perishables at their Moonlight Madness shopping evening and at the Santa Extravaganza event, and businesses had boxes set out for customers to drop off goods, while WQBA held a draw for prizes, which you entered by bringing in items; and the SQBA held a spin-to-win event and photos with Santa by non-perishable donation.

The competition began in 2013, and until this year has always gone to the SQBA – but this year’s winner, the WQBA, managed to out-weigh South Quesnel’s donation by 297 kg to take the trophy. West Quesnel brought in 1,460 kg; South Quesnel 1,163 kg; and Downtown 420 kg.

READ MORE: Salvation Army hopes for last-minute donations for kettle campaign



editor@quesnelobserver.com

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